1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for generating a three-dimensional surface image for dentistry, and more particularly, to an invention capable of obtaining a complete and accurate three-dimensional surface image of a target object by registering a three-dimensional optical image of the target object obtained by an optical camera with volume data or a rendering image of the target object obtained by an X-ray imaging unit.
2. Related Art
In general, in order to obtain an image of a surface of a target object, a method for obtaining a three-dimensional optical image of the target object using an optical camera is chiefly performed. Such a three-dimensional optical image is generated by measuring the distance from equipment measuring an external appearance of a target object to a surface of the target object. A major measurement method includes a laser scan method for radiating a laser to a target object, measuring the time taken for the laser to be reflected by the target object and then returned to measurement equipment, and generating an image of a surface of the target object by measuring the distance between the measuring equipment and the target object, a confocal microscopy structure method for illuminating a pattern using confocal microscopy and generating an image of a surface of a target object based on reflected location information, or a stereo photogrammetry method for measuring the distance to a target object using photos of a surface of the target object obtained at various angles and generating an image of the surface of the target object using the measured distance.
In a three-dimensional optical image using the optical camera, however, a surface of a target object is not smoothly formed. If a concave portion and a convex portion are present in the surface of the target object, in particular, in the case of an impression material or a plaster cast into which a patient dentition has been incorporated in order to fabricate a dental's prosthesis, it is difficult to accurately measure the distance due to a gap that light having straightness cannot reach and that is bent, such as a boundary surface between a teethridge and a tooth or an embrasure. Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is difficult to obtain a complete image of a surface of the target object.